Afghanistan: Macedonian Army

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the financial terms and conditions upon which units of the Macedonian army will be enlisted to serve under British command in Afghanistan.

Lord Drayson: The United Kingdom is currently working with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) to finalise the financial arrangements that will cover the planned deployment of fYRoM troops in support of the headquarters group of the UK-led Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) during the latter's nine-month command of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from May 2006. As is the case for other nations contributing troops to ISAF, the majority of financial costs are met by the nation concerned.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 29 March (WA 114–5), whether any of the centres devoted to the treatment of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) will be based in psychiatric departments; and, if so, in which hospitals.

Lord Warner: Each of the 13 clinical network co-ordinating centres is led by a clinical champion whose role is to oversee and support the development of a comprehensive range of services and clinical care in their area.
	Two of the centres have psychiatrists as clinical champions. The London centre, based at St Bartholomew's Hospital, is led jointly with a consultant in immunology and HIV medicine. The West Midlands Service is led by a neuropsychiatrist based at the Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital.
	All patients served by these centres have access to a range of multi-disciplinary services, tailored to meet their individual needs, and which are delivered in a variety of settings.

Consultants: Department of Health

Lord Smith of Clifton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much was spent each year on external management consultants by the Department of Health and its agencies from 2000 to 2005.

Lord Warner: The total cost of external consultancy services procured by the Department of Health (where in-house resources were not available) is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial Year2000–01£000 Financial Year2001–02£000 Financial Year2002–03£000 Financial Year2003–04£000 Financial Year2004–05£000 Financial Year2005–06 to date£000 
			 6,852 7,056 
			  7,266 
			  10,031 
			  12,800 
			  4,658 (1) 
			  
		
	
	(1) The 2005-06 spend is lower because the department has rectified some miscoding against the expenditure category codes to provide a more accurate figure of external consultancy spend to 31 January 2006.
	The department holds no central record of spend on external consultants in its executive agencies. The annual accounts for these organisations may include expenditure on consultants; copies of accounts can be obtained from the individual organisations.

European Court of Human Rights: Non-implementation of Judgments

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 10 January (WA 35–42), what is the position regarding the execution of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of 10 May 2001 in TP and KM v United Kingdom.

Lord Adonis: The judgment in this case has now been fully executed. The Government submitted information to the Committee of Ministers regarding implementation of the judgment. The court's judgment referred to deprivation of adequate involvement in the decision making process concerning the care of the child who was the subject of proceedings. Since the facts of the case, court rules have provided for disclosure of documents and the courts have recognised the importance of adequate involvement of parents in care proceedings. As regards the violation of Article 13, since the application the Human Rights Act has come into force providing an effective remedy in such cases. The Committee of Ministers has accepted that the judgment has been executed and the case is awaiting the drafting of a final resolution.

Food: GM

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will resist the draft proposal from the European Commission which would allow 0.9 per cent contamination of organic foods and feeding-stuffs by genetically modified commodities.

Lord Bach: The Government will be consulting stakeholders on the proposed threshold for adventitious GM presence before deciding what our position should be. We are also committed to exploring whether a threshold lower than 0.9 per cent should apply for organic production.

Garden Festivals

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many garden festival sites, created in the past 10 years, remain intact; and how many have been re-developed.

Lord Bach: We do not hold information on the number of garden festival sites created in the past 10 years, that remain intact, or on how many have been re-developed.

NHS Professionals

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Warner on 28 June 2005 (WA 19) and 5 December 2005 (WA 82), whether they have now determined the future status of NHS Professionals; and, if so, whether they will now give substantive answers to the Written Questions (HL742) and (HL743) tabled by the Baroness Noakes.

Lord Warner: The future organisational form of NHS Professionals is still under consideration. Department of Health officials are working with NHS Professionals to develop a business plan so that it can become self-financing and prepare to take on independent status from 2007-08. Options for future organisational form are being assessed.

NHS: Dr Foster Intelligence

Lord Smith of Leigh: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they can ensure that the information made available to the public through Dr Foster's website on health and social care is accurate; and whether health trusts can correct inaccurate and misleading information.

Lord Warner: As a major shareholder in Dr Foster Intelligence, the Health and Social Care Information Centre will encourage the adoption by the company of best practice in relation to internal and external mechanisms for quality assurance of products and services.
	Health trusts should in the first instance raise any concerns about inaccurate and misleading information with Dr Foster Intelligence. If they feel they are not properly dealt with they should raise them with the Dr Foster Intelligence Ethics Committee (www.drfoster.co.uk/ethics/). The primary role of this independent committee, with wide and distinguished membership, is:
	"To review material published by Dr Foster Intelligence and to require Dr Foster Intelligence to amend material that the committee regards as inaccurate, biased or unreliable in any way".
	Its decisions are published on the website.

Productivity

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On what evidence the Statement by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (HC Deb, 28 March, col. 695) that "we have closed the productivity gap with Germany" was based.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government use the international productivity comparisons produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest ONS release on 23 February 2006 (available at www.statistics.gov.uk) showed that, on the output per worker basis, the productivity gap between the UK and Germany closed in 2002. This means that, on average, a UK worker now produces as much output as a German worker.
	There has been good progress from 1995 to 2004 in closing the productivity gap with France and Germany, on both the output per worker and output per hour worked bases for measuring productivity. The UK is also the only country in the G7 to have matched the impressive productivity growth rates of the US over this period.
	Improving UK productivity performance still further is key to the UK's response to globalisation, as competitive pressures on UK firms intensify. Moreover, productivity gains are likely to be the main source for continued improvement in UK living standards. The Government will therefore maintain their intense focus on productivity, with policies working across the five drivers of productivity: investment, innovation, skills, enterprise and competition.
	
		Table 1: GDP per worker
		
			 Year France Germany Japan UK USA G7 G7 excluding UK 
			 1995 123 111 97 100 130 117 119 
			 1996 122 110 96 100 129 116 118 
			 1997 121 107 94 100 128 115 116 
			 1998 121 105 91 100 128 114 115 
			 1999 120 105 90 100 131 115 116 
			 2000 118 104 90 100 128 113 115 
			 2001 117 102 89 100 126 111 112 
			 2002 112 99 86 100 122 108 109 
			 2003 112 100 88 100 124 110 110 
			 2004 111 100 89 100 127 111 111 
		
	
	Note: index, UK=100
	Source: Office for National Statistics
	
		Table 2: GDP per hour worked
		
			 Year France Germany Japan UK USA G7 G7 excluding UK 
			 1995 137 126 89 100 120 114 115 
			 1996 135 126 88 100 120 114 115 
			 1997 135 124 87 100 118 112 113 
			 1998 135 121 85 100 118 111 112 
			 1999 133 122 85 100 120 112 113 
			 2000 134 121 85 100 117 111 111 
			 2001 135 119 84 100 116 110 111 
			 2002 131 116 81 100 112 106 106 
			 2003 131 116 82 100 114 107 107 
			 2004 129 116 83 100 116 108 108 
		
	
	Note: index, UK=100
	Source: Office for National Statistics
	These tables show how various countries' productivity levels relate to the UK level in each year. For example, French productivity in output per worker terms was 123 per cent of the UK level in 1995 and 111 per cent in 2004, implying that productivity growth over the period was higher in the UK than in France.

Regulation

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the recent report of the Trades Union Congress—Slaying the Red Tape Myths—which alleges that the burden of red tape is a myth, that business exaggerate costs and fail to state which regulations should be abandoned.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government have made no formal response to the report.
	Effective and well focused regulation can play a vital role in correcting market failures, promoting fairness and increasing competition. Society expects the Government to provide protection for the general public, consumers and employees consistent with the best international standards, and these expectations grow over time. However, the Government believe that inefficient regulation can impose a significant burden on business and are pursuing a programme of reforms to deliver better regulation.

Royal Navy: HMS "Kent"

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the exact locations of HMS "Kent" from 25 January to 27 January; and when and how HMS "Kent"'s active sonar was used during this period.

Lord Drayson: The exact locations of HMS "Kent" for 25 to 27 January were:
	25 January
	At 0001 hours (local): located 35 degrees, 53 minutes north by 4 degrees, 40 minutes west.
	At 0400 hours (local): located 35 degrees, 53 minutes north by 4 degrees, 42 minutes west.
	At 0800 hours (local): located 36 degrees, 4.9 minutes north by 5 degrees, 19.8 minutes west.
	0900 hours (local): located alongside Gibraltar.
	1630 hours (local): sailed from Gibraltar.
	2000 hours (local): located 35 degrees, 52.6 minutes north by 4 degrees, 47.8 minutes west.
	26 January
	At 0001 hours (local): located 35 degrees, 49.5 minutes north by 4 degrees, 35 minutes west.
	At 0400 hours (local): located 35 degrees, 49.7 minutes north by 4 degrees, 32.7 minutes west.
	At 0800 hours (local): located 35 degrees, 49 minutes north by 4 degrees, 37 minutes west.
	At 1700 hours (local): located alongside at Gibraltar.
	27 January
	At 1235 hours (local): sailed from Gibraltar.
	At 1600 hours (local): located 36 degrees, 5.9 minutes north by 4 degrees, 34.8 minutes west.
	At 2000 hours (local): located 36 degrees, 11.9 minutes north by 3 degrees, 22.2 minutes west.
	28 January
	At 0001 hours (local): located 36 degrees, 23.1 minutes north by 2 degrees, 3.6 minutes west.
	Throughout this period HMS "Kent"'s active sonar was not used.

Sudan: Darfur

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have agreed to the request from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that asylum applicants from Darfur should not be removed to Khartoum.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The UNHCR's position paper of February 2006 provides a broad assessment of the situation in Darfur and Sudan more generally and we do not dispute that it presents an accurate overview of the general humanitarian situation and the serious social and security problems inherent in Sudan. However, asylum and human rights claims are not decided on the basis of the general situation—they are based on the circumstances of the particular individual and the risk to that individual. We fully recognise that the precarious conditions in Sudan for those of non-Arab ethnicity originating from Darfur are such that there are individuals who are able to demonstrate a need for international protection. We do not however consider that each and every Sudanese national from Darfur who applies for asylum is in need of international protection. In cases where Sudanese asylum seekers from Darfur have been found both by the Home Office and the independent appeals process not to be in need of international protection, we will continue to enforce returns on a case-by-case basis. We therefore do not accept UNHCR's view that states should refrain from returning unsuccessful Darfuri asylum seekers to Sudan.

Village Shops

Lord Neill of Bladen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to encourage the establishment and continuing viability of village shops run by volunteers, bearing in mind that many commercially based shops have closed in recent years.

Lord Bach: Village shops are important to rural communities in providing goods and services, as well as crucial social contact. Some of these enterprises are successfully run by volunteers. They may be eligible for support from the Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES), part of Defra's England Rural Development Programme, where they have strong community backing and a business plan which establishes the need for the grant.
	The Government have also assisted local services by extending mandatory rate relief at 50 per cent to include sole village public houses, petrol stations and village food shops under the village shop scheme. Qualifying premises are entitled to a 50 per cent reduction in their business rates bills, and local authorities have the discretion to top-up all other non-domestic premises up to 100 per cent provided the rateable value is £14,000 or less.